Living Liver Foundation

06/02/2026

Thank you WJR Radio for having us on the All Talk with Kevin Dietz show today chatting about our 5th Annual Living Donor Awareness Game at UWM Field on Friday, June 5th.

Take a listen to learn about the special honorees and a real-time update on the movement of Michigan Senate Bill 301 which will provide a tax credit to employers that continue to pay their living donor employees while on leave.

We would love to have you join us on Friday night to celebrate life!

Henry Ford Health
United Shore Professional Baseball League

June 2, 2026 ~ Dave Galbenski previews the upcoming Living Donor Awareness game and the mission to highlight the importance of organ donation.

05/29/2026

The 5th Annual Living Donor Awareness Game at UWM Field is Friday, June 5!

In partnership with Henry Ford Health, we will honor living organ donors and educate the public about kidney and liver living donation.

50+ living donors from 4 Michigan transplant centers will be honored.

Several double donors (BOTH kidney and liver) will be highlighted.

An altruistic living donor will meet his or her recipient for the first time.

Two living donor/recipient pairs will share their story and throw out ceremonial first pitches.

There is still time to join us for the celebration. Visit USPBL.com for more tickets.

And, check out the highlight reel from last year’s event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwodjubb5Pg

United Shore Professional Baseball League

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01/18/2026

Big News! The $10,000 Michigan state tax credit for living donors that we were able to enact into law is now “official” as it is line 20 in the 2025 MI-1040 tax form that most Michigan residents use to file their taxes.

The goal of this tax credit was to reduce financial barriers for those who "give the gift of life" by helping with expenses not covered by insurance.

For those who donated on January 1, 2025 or later, this tax credit allows donors to claim unreimbursed costs up to $10,000 for travel, lodging, lost wages and childcare associated with the donation.

Mark Dybis, Dave’s liver donor and brother-in-law, was the inspiration as we worked with State Rep Felicia Brabec to get this law passed.

In 2025, there were 177 living donor transplants (164 kidney, 13 liver) in Michigan up 22% over 2024.

Hopefully this new law will help increase the number in 2026 because so many residents are waiting: 2,322 on the kidney transplant list and 133 on the liver list.

Please share this news with others who you think may be interested.

Our next goal is to get SB301 passed into law which would provide a $25,000 employer state tax credit for employers who continue to pay their employees while recovering from living donation.

Once passed, Michigan would be one of only seven states with the most protections for living donors as recommended by the American Kidney Fund.



Henry Ford Health

11/26/2025

Want to join me in supporting a good cause?

This I'm raising money for the Living Liver Foundation that my wife, Lynn and I launched in 2023.

It honors my living donor and brother-in-law, Mark Dybis.

Mark and I just celebrated our 6th year transplant anniversary on November 25th.

Your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate $5, $55 or $144, every little bit helps.

The Living Liver Foundation's mission is to ensure that no one dies on the transplant wait list while waiting for the availability of an organ.

On a national basis, we promote living organ donation through hosting Living Donor Awareness Games at MLB, MiLB and college baseball games. In 2025, we hosted games in 10 locations around the United States including the Arizona Diamondbacks Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies and more.

At these games, we honor living donors and the medical professionals that make the magic happen.

We educate on the power and possibility of living organ donation.

06/01/2025

You're invited to the fourth annual Living Donor Awareness Night at Jimmy John's field in Utica, Michigan on Friday night, June 27 as the Westside Woolly Mammoths take on the Utica Unicorns at 7:05 p.m.

With 2,400 Michigan residents waiting for a kidney or liver, living organ donation helps fill the gap between then number of deceased donor organs available each year and those in need.

In 2024, 145 living kidney or living liver transplants were completed in Michigan. Sponsored by the Living Liver Foundation and Henry Ford Health, the Night will honor living donors and medical professionals, share information about living donation and inspire others to consider donation.

The game will be followed by a great fireworks display.

We have some new twists this year.

-Before the game, Henry Ford Health and the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan will staff information tables where fans attending the game can learn more about living donation. Living donors are encouraged to stop by the Henry Ford Health table to enter the prize drawing and pick up a commemorative baseball hat to wear during the game.

- During the first pitch, State Senator Joe Bellino will throw to his brother-in-law Chuck Piotrowski. Joe donated one of his kidneys to Chuck at Henry Ford Hospital in 2024.

- Before the game begins, the medical team from Henry Ford's Center for Living Donation will take the field to be introduced and recognized for their contributions to the health of so many.

- Between two innings, we'll welcome three state law makers who have passed (or are currently working on) legislation to reduce barriers to living donation in Michigan. These include State Senator Kevin Hertel, former State Representative Felicia Brabec and State Senator Joe Bellino.

- Between two innings, we'll honor a recent altruistic living donor and hear her story. Michelle Doerr, a Michigan State Mom, donated a kidney to Michigan State junior Liam Clegg.

- During the game, all living donors in attendance will be asked to stand and be honored as the game's hometown heroes. In addition, all living donors will participate in a prize drawing.

Tickets are available from $7-$20. Purchase at uspbl.com/tickets or by calling the box office at 248-759-5278.

Parking is free.

Hope to see you there!

05/08/2025

A triple play is rare in baseball. But there’s one that happens every time you have a catch: connection, kindness, and activity.

The first annual National "Wanna Have A Catch Day" this Saturday, May 10 on the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa celebrates this powerful trio—and honors those who give life through living organ donation.

17 people die every day waiting for a kidney or a liver transplant. But with living donors, more lives are saved. Each toss in the game of catch reflects generosity. Each return is a new beginning. And having a catch? It gets us moving—fighting back against the conditions that cause kidney and liver failure.

Whether you’re in Iowa at the Field of Dreams movie site or your own backyard—join us. Raise awareness. Play catch. Honor living organ donors. And help us bring the transplant waiting list to zero.

Post photos or videos of you having a catch with someone you love on May 10 with our special hashtag

Celebrate National Wanna Have A Catch Day with Dwier Brown (John Kinsella in Field of Dreams) on May 10, 2025 to honor living organ donors and their tremendo...

03/18/2025

With the first MLB game of the season in the books with the Dodgers beating the Cubs 4-1 in Tokyo, it’s time for us to announce the first of many 2025 Living Donor Awareness Games.

We will be hitting MLB, MiLB and college baseball stadiums across the nation honoring, educating and inspiring about living organ donation.

We are pumped to have the Cincinnati Reds kick off the year by hosting the 3rd Annual Living Donor Awareness Game on Friday, April 11.

The Reds take on the Pirates at 6:40 pm on National Living Donor Day with pre-game festivities highlighting two incredible and inspiring living donor pair stories.

As MLB’s oldest franchise, it’s only appropriate they are the first event of the season.

We would love to have you join us at Great America Ball Park!

https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/livingliverfoundation25

Living Liver Foundation
Transplant Life Foundation
Team Ohio 4 Life

4/11/25 @ 6:40 PM - The Living Liver Foundation

09/13/2024

Just 37 days until the Detroit Free Press Marathon!

It is one of Living Liver Foundation’s key fundraisers for the year.

2 ways to help us in this event.

1. Make a donation to support me individually as I run the 13.1 miles of the half marathon over the Ambassador Bridge, under the Detroit River in the tunnel and across the finish line near Campus Martius.

https://www.givengain.com/project/david-raising-funds-for-living-liver-foundation-83532

2. If you or your friends are running in any of the races that weekend, we are an official charity partner and would love to have you join our team in our fundraising efforts!

Select us as your charity partner and have fun racing and raising funds for a good cause.

Let’s go!

On November 25, 2019, my brother-in-law, Mark Dybis, saved my life by courageously stepping forward to become my living liver donor as I entered end stage liver disease as a result of a rare auto-immune disease, Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC).In February of 2022, my wife, Lynn, and I launched....

07/22/2024

A glorious summer night in Louisville celebrating our inaugural Living Donor Awareness Game on July 19!

Thank you Hana Ibrahim and the Louisville Bats for your incredible support of the evening! We look forward to coming back in 2025 and taking the event to the next level!

Thank you Mulligans Living Kidney Donors ( MLKD ) and LeighAnn Saylor for your amazing work. It was a joy collaborating! What great work you are doing as we go after zero wait list!

Thank you living donors and transplant medical professionals for your respective roles in giving us transplant recipients a second chance at life.

YOU. ARE. AWESOME!

Next stop for our Living Donor Awareness Game 2024 tour is with the Cincinnati Reds on August 30!

If you’d like to bring one to your area, let us know!

Living Liver Foundation
Louisville Bats